This invention relates generally to wellbore casings, and in particular to wellbore casings that are formed using expandable tubing.
Conventionally, when a wellbore is created, a number of casings are installed in the borehole to prevent collapse of the borehole wall and to prevent undesired outflow of drilling fluid into the formation or inflow of fluid from the formation into the borehole. The borehole is drilled in intervals whereby a casing which is to be installed in a lower borehole interval is lowered through a previously installed casing of an upper borehole interval. As a consequence of this procedure the casing of the lower interval is of smaller diameter than the casing of the upper interval. Thus, the casings are in a nested arrangement with casing diameters decreasing in downward direction. Cement annuli are provided between the outer surfaces of the casings and the borehole wall to seal the casings from the borehole wall. As a consequence of this nested arrangement a relatively large borehole diameter is required at the upper part of the wellbore. Such a large borehole diameter involves increased costs due to heavy casing handling equipment, large drill bits and increased volumes of drilling fluid and drill cuttings. Moreover, increased drilling rig time is involved due to required cement pumping, cement hardening, required equipment changes due to large variations in hole diameters drilled in the course of the well, and the large volume of cuttings drilled and removed.
Conventionally, at the surface end of the wellbore, a wellhead is formed that typically includes a surface casing, a number of production and/or drilling spools, valving, and a Christmas tree. Typically the wellhead further includes a concentric arrangement of casings including a production casing and one or more intermediate casings. The casings are typically supported using load bearing slips positioned above the ground. The conventional design and construction of wellheads is expensive and complex.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations of the existing procedures for forming wellbores and wellheads.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for coupling a tubular member to a preexisting structure has been described that includes a first support member including a first fluid passage, a manifold coupled to the support member including: a second fluid passage coupled to the first fluid passage including a throat passage adapted to receive a plug, a third fluid passage coupled to the second fluid passage, and a fourth fluid passage coupled to the second fluid passage, a second support member coupled to the manifold including a fifth fluid passage coupled to the second fluid passage, an expansion cone coupled to the second support member, a tubular member coupled to the first support member including one or more sealing members positioned on an exterior surface, a first interior chamber defined by the portion of the tubular member above the manifold, the first interior chamber coupled to the fourth fluid passage, a second interior chamber defined by the portion of the tubular member between the manifold and the expansion cone, the second interior chamber coupled to the third fluid passage, a third interior chamber defined by the portion of the tubular member below the expansion cone, the third interior chamber coupled to the fifth fluid passage, and a shoe coupled to the tubular member including: a throat passage coupled to the third interior chamber adapted to receive a wiper dart, and a sixth fluid passage coupled to the throat passage.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of coupling a tubular member to a preexisting structure is provided that includes positioning a support member, an expansion cone, and a tubular member within a preexisting structure, injecting a first quantity of a fluidic material into the preexisting structure below the expansion cone, and injecting a second quantity of a fluidic material into the preexisting structure above the expansion cone.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes a preexisting structure and an expanded tubular member coupled to the preexisting structure. The expanded tubular member is coupled to the preexisting structure by the process of: positioning a support member, an expansion cone, and the tubular member within the preexisting structure, injecting a first quantity of a fluidic material into the preexisting structure below the expansion cone, and injecting a second quantity of a fluidic material into the preexisting structure above the expansion cone.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for coupling two elements is provided that includes a support member including one or more support member slots, a tubular member including one or more tubular member slots, and a coupling for removably coupling the tubular member to the support member, including: a coupling body movably coupled to the support member, one or more coupling arms extending from the coupling body and coupling elements extending from corresponding coupling arms adapted to mate with corresponding support member and tubular member slots.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of coupling a first member to a second member is provided that includes forming a first set of coupling slots in the first member, forming a second set of coupling slots in the second member, aligning the first and second pairs of coupling slots and inserting coupling elements into each of the pairs of coupling slots.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling the flow of fluidic materials within a housing is provided that includes a first passage within the housing, a throat passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the first passage adapted to receive a plug, a second passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the throat passage, a third passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the first passage, one or more valve chambers within the housing fluidicly coupled to the third passage including moveable valve elements, a fourth passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the valve chambers and a region outside of the housing, a fifth passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the second passage and controllably coupled to the valve chambers by corresponding valve elements, and a sixth passage within the housing fluidicly coupled to the second passage and the valve chambers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling the flow of fluidic materials within a housing including an inlet passage and an outlet passage is provided that includes injecting fluidic materials into the inlet passage, blocking the inlet passage, and opening the outlet passage.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes a first tubular member, a second tubular member positioned within and coupled to the first tubular member, a first annular chamber defined by the space between the first and second tubular members, an annular piston movably coupled to the second tubular member and positioned within the first annular chamber, an annular sleeve coupled to the annular piston and positioned within the first annular chamber, a third annular member coupled to the second annular member and positioned within and movably coupled to the annular sleeve, a second annular chamber defined by the space between the annular piston, the third annular member, the second tubular member, and the annular sleeve, an inlet passage fluidicly coupled to the first annular chamber, and an outlet passage fluidicly coupled to the second annular chamber.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of applying an axial force to a first piston positioned within a first piston chamber is provided that includes applying an axial force to the first piston using a second piston positioned within the first piston chamber.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for radially expanding a tubular member is provided that includes a support member, a tubular member coupled to the support member, a mandrel movably coupled to the support member and positioned within the tubular member, an annular expansion cone coupled to the mandrel and movably coupled to the tubular member for radially expanding the tubular member, and a lubrication assembly coupled to the mandrel for supplying a lubricant to the annular expansion cone, including: a sealing member coupled to the annular member, a body of lubricant positioned in an annular chamber defined by the space between the sealing member, the annular member, and the tubular member, and a lubrication supply passage fluidicly coupled to the body of lubricant and the annular expansion cone for supplying a lubricant to the annular expansion cone.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of operating an apparatus for radially expanding a tubular member including an expansion cone is provided that includes lubricating the interface between the expansion cone and the tubular member, centrally positioning the expansion cone within the tubular member, and applying a substantially constant axial force to the tubular member prior to the beginning of the radial expansion process.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes a support member, a tubular member coupled to the support member, an annular expansion cone movably coupled to the support member and the tubular member and positioned within the tubular member for radially expanding the tubular member, and a preload assembly for applying an axial force to the annular expansion cone, including: a compressed spring coupled to the support member for applying the axial force to the annular expansion cone, and a spacer coupled to the support member for controlling the amount of spring compression.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for coupling a tubular member to a preexisting structure is provided that includes a support member, a manifold coupled to the support member for controlling the flow of fluidic materials within the apparatus, a radial expansion assembly movably coupled to the support member for radially expanding the tubular member, and a coupling assembly for removably coupling the tubular member to the support member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for coupling a tubular member to a preexisting structure is provided that includes an annular support member including a first passage, a manifold coupled to the annular support member, including: a throat passage fluidicly coupled to the first passage adapted to receive a fluid plug, a second passage fluidicly coupled to the throat passage, a third passage fluidicly coupled to the first passage, a fourth passage fluidicly coupled to the third passage, one or more valve chambers fluidicly coupled to the fourth passage including corresponding movable valve elements, one or more fifth passages fluidicly coupled to the second passage and controllably coupled to corresponding valve chambers by corresponding movable valve elements, one or more sixth passages fludicly coupled to a region outside of the manifold and to corresponding valve chambers, one or more seventh passages fluidicly coupled to corresponding valve chambers and the second passage, and one or more force multiplier supply passages fluidicly coupled to the fourth passage, a force multiplier assembly coupled to the annular support member, including: a force multiplier tubular member coupled to the manifold, an annular force multiplier piston chamber defined by the space between the annular support member and the force multiplier tubular member and fluidicly coupled to the force multiplier supply passages, an annular force multiplier piston positioned in the annular force multiplier piston chamber and movably coupled to the annular support member, a force multiplier sleeve coupled to the annular force multiplier piston, a force multiplier sleeve sealing member coupled to the annular support member and movably coupled to the force multiplier sleeve for sealing the interface between the force multiplier sleeve and the annular support member, an annular force multiplier exhaust chamber defined by the space between the annular force multiplier piston, the force multiplier sleeve, and the force multiplier sleeve sealing member, and a force multiplier exhaust passage fluidicly coupled to the annular force multiplier exhaust chamber and the interior of the annular support member, an expandable tubular member, a radial expansion assembly movably coupled to the annular support member, including: an annular mandrel positioned within the annular force multiplier piston chamber, an annular expansion cone coupled to the annular mandrel and movably coupled to the expandable tubular member, a lubrication assembly coupled to the annular mandrel for supplying lubrication to the interface between the annular expansion cone and the expandable tubular member, a centralizer coupled to the annular mandrel for centering the annular expansion cone within the expandable tubular member, and a preload assembly movably coupled to the annular support member for applying an axial force to the annular mandrel, and a coupling assembly coupled to the annular support member and releasably coupled to the expandable tubular member, including: a tubular coupling member coupled to the expandable tubular member including one or more tubular coupling member slots, an annular support member coupling interface coupled to the annular support member including one or more annular support member coupling interface slots, and a coupling device for releasably coupling the tubular coupling member to the annular support member coupling interface, including: a coupling device body movably coupled to the annular support member, one or more resilient coupling device arms extending from the coupling device body, and one or more coupling device coupling elements extending from corresponding coupling device arms adapted to removably mate with corresponding tubular coupling member and annular support member coupling slots.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of coupling a tubular member to a pre-existing structure is provided that includes positioning an expansion cone and the tubular member within the preexisting structure using a support member, displacing the expansion cone relative to the tubular member in the axial direction, and decoupling the support member from the tubular member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided that includes a preexisting structure, and a radially expanded tubular member coupled to the preexisting structure by the process of: positioning an expansion cone and the tubular member within the preexisting structure using a support member, displacing the expansion cone relative to the tubular member in the axial direction, and decoupling the support member from the tubular member.